Nov 1 No Boys & Girls Club (BGC Inservice Day)

Nov 5 Picture Re-take Day (AM)

Nov 12 SPOT Vision Screening

Nov 14 Parent Teacher Conferences

Nov 18 PTO Meeting 4pm

Nov 19 Parent Teacher Conferences

Nov 27 No School - Conference Comp

Nov 28, 29 No School - Thanksgiving Break

Hello Families-

We are looking forward to meeting with you at our first round of parent teacher conferences later this month. Our students have been working diligently throughout the fall and we are excited to share with you their successes so far, identify next steps for continued growth, and partner with you on making those goals happen. Our new language arts curriculums have raised the rigor with our students, and they have been meeting the challenges head on. I want to thank you as well for your support with having students attend daily and on time. Our attendance data has been fantastic to begin the school year compared to recent years and we love seeing their progress and smiles as they learn.

I want to give a shout out to our Columbus PTO for all the efforts behind the scenes with our Fall/Halloween Dance as well as Trunk or Treat event. It was wonderful to visit with current and alumni students and families. Please consider lending a helping hand to PTO as those folks are working to make our entire school community and warm and welcoming place for all of us 😊. The next PTO meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 18th, at 4:00. Child care is available for that time for anyone who would like to attend.

Finally, as we transition into cooler temperatures, please be sure students have their proper gear for the season. Need help with winter gear? Please let us know and we can connect you with resources. If the temperature is below 40 degrees students will need a winter jacket for outside.

Thank you!

Wisconsin recently passed an educational law, commonly known as "Act 20." One of the mandates of that law requires each child in Grades 4K-3 to take an assessment called the aimswebPlus early reading screener. A screener is an assessment that quickly checks your child's reading skills to help teachers plan individualized instruction. In our district, we already use a screener, called the Core Phonics Screener, and your child's teacher may have talked with you about those results. The new state required literacy screener, aimswebPlus, is very similar.

Please fill out the below application for free and reduced price school meals and school fees. You only need to submit one application per household, even if your children attend more than one school in the Appleton Area School District.

You can apply for free and reduced meals/fees through the Infinite Campus portal or with a paper application that can be turned in to your school or the Food Service Office.

There are two forms that must be completed if you wish to have your $30 school fee waived:

• Application for Free or Reduced School Meals and Fees
• Sharing Information with Other Programs
  

Please ensure that you are also completing the additional form for sharing information with other programs. This form allows the District Food Service program to share your status with your school office, which may lead to a waiver of fees in the following areas: Elective Course Material Fees, Co-Curricular / Participation Fees, and Instrumental Rental Fees.

Join us Nov 18 at 4pm for the Columbus PTO Meeting in room 408. We would love to have more people join us!

Please do not bring in snacks/treats for birthdays or other celebrations. The AASD Board Policy (458) regarding Student Wellness was updated in 2018 in order to align our school wellness procedures with best practices. This change is to focus on honoring students through more inclusive practices that are not only more aligned to the updated policy, but are practices identified as being best for overall student health and wellness. Policy 458 reads:

D. Recognition for Special Occasion Without Treats

Recognitions for special occasions (birthdays, holidays, etc.) during the school day (starting at midnight the day before through a half hour after students are dismissed for the day) will NOT include students bringing in snacks/treats from outside of the District for other students and will instead take place through non-food practices.

Click on link for the November Nurse Newsletter sharing information about diabetes.

Parents/guardians do not need to have concerns to schedule a screening.

The Developmental Screening is designed to:

• Educate families about typical child development and growth
• Develop/Expand awareness of available community resources
• Identify young children in need of further assessment

The Screening looks at all areas of child development including:

• How your child talks
• How your child listens
• How your child thinks
• How your child moves
• How your child uses their hands

The district offers many programs and services for children who may need support before kindergarten to achieve school success.

Screenings are held at the Community Early Learning Center, 313 S. State St., Appleton, WI 54911. Screening appointments are held during the school year from September through March.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact:
Tanya Armstrong
3-5 Developmental Screening Coordinator
(920) 832-6209 ext. 2914

https://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/programs-services/young-child/3-5-year-old-developmental-screenings

Click on link above to find local, community opportunities for students of all ages. These community opportunities for students include upcoming events and activities such as art and music camps, youth athletics, cultural events, enriching programs, and more. We encourage our families to review these opportunities for students of all ages.